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2014-10-28

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To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the estimated cost to the House of (1) restoration,
(2) repair, and (3) fire protection work underway in (a) the Palace of Westminster,
(b) Fielden House, and (c) Millbank House.

<p>‘Restoration’ has been taken to include work currently underway on the Estate to
restore or conserve areas of the historic building fabric, including but not limited
to the restoration work in Westminster Hall and the Encaustic Tile project. It does
not include the estimated costs of the Restoration and Renewal Programme. ‘Repair’
includes project works underway on the estate but does not include general day to
day maintenance. Fire protection work costs are based on the Fire Life Safety Works
Programme.</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>Palace of Westminster</p></td><td><p>Millbank
House</p></td><td><p>Fielden House</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Restoration</p></td><td><p>External
Courtyards Conservation work (Phase 1) current approved cost: £20.2m; Westminster
Hall current approved cost: £12.1m (subject to review); Elizabeth Tower current approved
cost: £61.1m (subject to review); Cast Iron Roofs current approved cost: £84.4m; Encaustic
Tiles current approved cost: £14.3m.</p></td><td><p>There is no restoration work currently
underway.</p></td><td><p>There is no restoration work currently underway.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Repair</p></td><td><p>Works
to the Palace in 2017/18 totalled £2m; works in 2018/19 are forecast to cost £2.8m.</p></td><td><p>Works
to 5 Great College Street and its integration into Millbank House total £42.9m.</p></td><td><p>Planning
is underway for the refurbishment of Fielden House. Surveying work is expected to
commence in December 2018. The surveying working is required to finalise the business
case. Until it is finalised it is not possible to provide an estimate.</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Fire
Protection</p></td><td><p>The approved business cases forecast expenditure of £90m
for fire safety work underway in the Palace of Westminster. The forecast expenditure
of a project within the Fire Safety programme is currently being revised.</p></td><td><p>The
cost of fire protection in the Great College Street area of Millbank House has been
integrated into the project itself and therefore is included in the repair figure
above. The cost of Fire Protection in 1&amp;2 Millbank is currently forecast at £1.6m
excluding risk and optimism bias (OB) and £2.1m including risk and OB.</p></td><td><p>The
cost of making Fielden House Fire Life Safety compliant will form part of the refurbishment
project. Therefore, it is not possible currently to confirm how much it will cost.</p></td></tr></tbody></table>

<p>In line with the Authorised Records Disposal Practice, records relating to financial
information relating to State Visits and Addresses is kept for 5 years and then disposed
of. The costs to Parliament for visits where records are available are listed in the
table below. These vary depending on whether the event was held in the Royal Gallery
or Robing Room. Costs of addresses in Westminster Hall are not available. It should
be noted that additional costs related to translation, sound and AV services, catering
and, in a number of cases, ticketing and programmes are borne by the Foreign and Commonwealth
Office:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Event</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Date</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Location</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Porterage</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Furnishings</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Cost
of halting planned maintenance</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Flowers</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Ticketing
and printing</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>State Visit by the King and Queen of
The Netherlands</p></td><td><p>23 October 2018</p></td><td><p>Royal Gallery</p></td><td><p>£7,235.00</p></td><td><p>£4,930.40</p></td><td><p>£2,500.00</p></td><td><p>£1,100.00</p></td><td><p>£109.68</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>State
Visit by the King and Queen of Spain</p></td><td><p>12 July 2017</p></td><td><p>Royal
Gallery</p></td><td><p>£6,169.00</p></td><td><p>£4,925.85</p></td><td><p>£3,000.00</p></td><td><p>£480.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Address
by President of Columbia</p></td><td><p>1 November 2016</p></td><td><p>Robing Room</p></td><td><p>£3,046.00</p></td><td><p>£2,907.48</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>£540.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Address
by President of Indonesia</p></td><td><p>19 April 2016</p></td><td><p>Robing Room</p></td><td><p>£3,046.00</p></td><td><p>£490.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>£462.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Speech
by Prime Minister of India</p></td><td><p>12 November 2015</p></td><td><p>Royal Gallery</p></td><td><p>£2,350.00</p></td><td><p>£6,965.76</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>£418.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Address
by the Prime Minister of China</p></td><td><p>20 October 2015</p></td><td><p>Royal
Gallery</p></td><td><p>£5,800.00</p></td><td><p>£8,678.85</p></td><td><p>£1,300.00</p></td><td><p>£418.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>State
Visit by the President of Mexico</p></td><td><p>3 March 2015</p></td><td><p>Robing
Room</p></td><td><p>£3,046.00</p></td><td><p>£1,497.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>£740.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Address
by the President of Singapore</p></td><td><p>21 October 2014</p></td><td><p>Robing
Room</p></td><td><p>£3,046.00</p></td><td><p>£941.16</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>£470.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Address
by the President of Ireland</p></td><td><p>8 April 2014</p></td><td><p>Royal Gallery</p></td><td><p>£5,450.00</p></td><td><p>£2,703.50</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>£300.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Address
by the Chancellor of Germany</p></td><td><p>27 February 2014</p></td><td><p>Royal
Gallery</p></td><td><p>£5,450.00</p></td><td><p>£3,110.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td><td><p>£300.00</p></td><td><p>n/a</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p>

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what was the total cost to the House of the (1) Catering
and Retail Service, (2) Department of Facilities, (3) Finance Department, (4) Human
Resources Office, (5) Parliamentary Digital Service, (6) Library, (7) clerks and procedural
services, and (8) Commissioner for Standards in the latest financial year for which
figures are available; and what were the comparative figures for the 2005–6 financial
year.

<p>The costs for 2017-18 were as follows:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>
</p></td><td><p><strong>2017-18</strong> <strong>£000s</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1.
Catering and Retail Services</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1,346</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2.
Department of Facilities</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1,863</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>3.
Finance Department</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1,441</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>4.
Human Resources Office</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1,691</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>5.
Parliamentary Digital Service</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>14,536</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>6.
Library</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2,384</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>7. Clerks and
Procedural Services</p></td><td><p> </p></td><td><p>15,383</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p>The total for Clerks and Procedural Services includes the costs of the Clerk
of the Parliaments Office, Black Rod’s Office, Committee Office, Hansard, Journal
Office, Communications Office, Legislation Office, and the Lord Speaker’s Office.
Costs for the Commissioner of Standards are not separately identifiable and are within
the Clerks and Procedural Services figure.</p><p> </p><p>In 2005-06 some offices and
departments listed above did not exist, and since 2005-06 there have also been other
changes to the roles and functions of offices and departments across the Administration;
this makes providing comparison figures more difficult. The costs for 2005-06 were
as follows:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p><strong>2005-06</strong>
<strong>£000s</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>1. Catering and Retail Services (was
the Refreshment Department)</p></td><td><p>1,729</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2. Department
of Facilities (did not exist – costs of the Attendants and Housekeepers sections)</p></td><td><p>1,013</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>3.
Finance Department</p></td><td><p>1,272</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>4. Human Resources
Office</p></td><td><p>942</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>5. Parliamentary Digital Service
(did not exist – costs of Computer Office, ICT and telecommunications sections)</p></td><td><p>2,860</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>6.
Library</p></td><td><p>2,926</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>7. Clerks and Procedural Services</p></td><td><p>11,816</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p><p>The total for Clerks and Procedural Services includes the costs of the Clerk
of the Parliaments Office, Black Rod’s Office, Doorkeepers, Committee Office, Hansard,
Journal and Information Office, Legislation Office, and the Printed Paper Office.</p><p>
</p>

<p>The total paid to Members of the House in allowances, travel and subsistence expenses
under the Members Finance Scheme in relation to attendance at the House of Lords in
each of the last 15 years was as follows:</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Financial Year</p></td><td><p>Total
£000s</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017-18</p></td><td><p>17,604</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016-17</p></td><td><p>21,872</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015-16</p></td><td><p>18,787</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014-15</p></td><td><p>19,638</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013-14</p></td><td><p>20,658</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012-13</p></td><td><p>19,637</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011-12</p></td><td><p>21,611</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010-11</p></td><td><p>17,856</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009-10</p></td><td><p>16,033</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008-09</p></td><td><p>17,514</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2007-08</p></td><td><p>17,152</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2006-07</p></td><td><p>16,306</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2005-06</p></td><td><p>14,401</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2004-05</p></td><td><p>13,355</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2003-04</p></td><td><p>12,574</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>The
scheme of financial support for Members changed on 1 October 2010. Prior to then,
in addition to travel costs, Members could claim reimbursement of expenses under categories
entitled Overnight Subsistence, Day Subsistence, and Office Costs.</p><p>The totals
differ from the summary numbers published in the notes to the annual Resource Accounts
as to be consistent with classification over a long period of time the above totals
only include amounts paid for travel, Daily Allowance (since 1 October 2010), Overnight
Subsistence, Day Subsistence and Office Costs (prior to 1 October 2010).</p>

To ask the Chairman of Committees whether he has any plans, in conjunction with the
House of Commons Commission, to identify those posts in the Palace of Westminster
which could be filled by recently disabled servicemen and servicewomen and to keep
those posts open, in the first instance, only for such individuals.

<p>There are no current plans to reserve posts in the Palace of Westminster in the
first instance for recently disabled servicemen and servicewomen.</p><p>Employment
practice in both Houses is to recruit through fair and open competition and to welcome
job applications from people with disabilities, making any reasonable adjustments
to enable disabled applicants to compete equally for employment and promotion.</p><p>The
bi-cameral workplace equality network ParliABLE promotes awareness and positive approaches
to disability through publicity and events which continue to be well supported by
Members of both Houses.</p>

<p>There are no plans to remove OneDrive from Members. A configuration change made
to the OneDrive service designed to enhance parliamentary information security had
an unintended impact on the ability of Members to use OneDrive. This change has now
been reversed and we are grateful to the noble Lord and others for drawing this to
our attention.</p>

<p>There are no plans to remove OneDrive from Members. A configuration change made
to the OneDrive service designed to enhance parliamentary information security had
an unintended impact on the ability of Members to use OneDrive. This change has now
been reversed and we are grateful to the noble Lord and others for drawing this to
our attention.</p>

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the overall cost, including the cost to the
House Authorities, of the contract to supervise by-elections for hereditary peers;
whether that cost is paid annually or per by-election; and whether the cost is dependent
on the number of candidates or electors.

<p>The costs are paid per by-election. Costs vary according to the number of electors.
The current cost of a whole House by-election is £1440; a Labour or Liberal Democrat
by-election costs £570, and a Conservative or Crossbench by-election costs £600; all
costs are inclusive of VAT. This is in addition to the cost of House of Lords staff
time spent organising the by-election which forms part of their normal duties and
is not costed separately.</p>

To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether arrangements will be made to enable members
of the House who wish to observe the count of the votes cast for the hereditary peer
by-election scheduled to take place on 27 and 28 November.

<p>A member of the relevant party or group is appointed to act as scrutineer at each
count, and this will happen on 28 November when the votes (all of which will be cast
by post) will be counted. There is no count on 27 November. There are no plans to
make further arrangements to enable more members of the House to observe the count
of the votes cast.</p>